Devotedly yours
by RGaijin
Summary: After a short visit with Edward, Roy has marriage and children on his mind. Based on events after the ending of the manga, Ch.108. Spoilers if you haven't read that yet.
1. Children on the mind

Former Colonel Roy Mustang and former Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye sat in silence as the train made its way back to central. They were on their way back after having visited Edward Elric and his family.

Mustang, who had been promoted to Brigadier General after the great battle with the Homunculus, sat with his arm perched on the window sill, and chin rested on his left hand. He had a bored expression on, as he watched the scenery passing him by.

Riza Hawkeye now promoted to Lt. Colonel; sat opposite him reading a book she had brought along for the long trip back. It had been ages since she had had the time to read any sort of book leisurely, with all the rebuilding of Ishbal work they've been swamped with as of late.

_Family, eh?_ Thought Roy. _Fullmetal is all grown up and responsible for children and a wife!_ He couldn't help but grin at that thought; though he had to admit he did feel envious of the laid back lifestyle Edward was leading back in Resembool.

He remembered his conversation with Edward earlier that day, and wondered if he could truly engage himself in that matter. _Would it really be impossible? Could he allow himself that pleasure? _ His eyes wandered to the woman sitting in front of him and settled on her face. Shaking his head, he rubbed his hand on his forehead.

Roy exhaled loudly. His life was the military, and he had accepted that a long time ago. _I don't have the right to think of settling down and raising a family, not after all I've done…not after that war. _He frowned as memories of the Ishbal war came flooding his head. It had been hard since he started working with the rebuilding. Due to his current work with the Ishbalans, his past kept showing its ugly head every so often lately.

Most of the people were afraid and rather distrustful of him at first, since many remembered he was one of the many state alchemists that had destroyed their homeland. But with Scar and Miles' help, they had started to be less intimidated and slowly interacted with him. Although, there were the occasional outbursts from a begrudged few. But other than that, things were coming along smoothly and he had no complaints.

He stretched out his arms with a groan and yawned, half expecting Riza to comment on how tired he must be after their long day. When the silence ensued, he looked over at his Lieutenant. Roy couldn't help but smile at the sight before him. She had that serious expression of hers with the furrowed brows, and he watched her eye movements as she read. She was totally engrossed in that book of hers.

Resting the back of his head on his left arm, he leaned back into the couch and watched her read a few moments longer. "Careful Lieutenant, you'll get wrinkles the way you're frowning. Is your book really THAT Interesting?" He smirked, that signature half smile of his.

Startled, Riza blinked and looked up to find his dark eyes on her. "Err...Yes Sir, it is." She replied distractedly, a slight flush on her cheeks, before looking back down and continuing to read.

"Ah, I see." He mused, with a teasing tone of voice and a satisfied grin.

"Lieutenant, what are thoughts on children? Ever thought of having any?" Mustang asked a few moments later, out of the blue.

Riza looked up again and raised an eyebrow at him, and his odd question.

She kept silent for a moment trying to think of a reply. It was true that they had spent the day with Edward's adorable children, and she had noticed how carefree and playful he had been. It was the same way he was with Ishbalan children, telling them stories and acting like one of them as their laughter filled the air_. _

_'He has a way with children, and dogs.'_ She thought with a smile.

"Hmm? Is it that hard of a question to answer?" He asked teasingly.

"No Sir." She replied sternly "I was just wondering where that question suddenly came from. Of course today's events perhaps, might have sparked it? "

He knew she was referring to the manner he conducted himself with the Elric children and cleared his throat with a quick cough as he rubbed his left earlobe, slowly changing his sitting position slightly. Noticing the gesture he usually made when embarrassed or uncomfortable, she suppressed a smile and continued.

"To answer your question Sir, I think children are a blessing, God's gift to mankind. They bring joy to the lives of those around them and make life seem bright and pure. Of course one mustn't forget about the trials of raising them as well, and not to mention how expensive they can be. But no, I haven't thought about having my own." She lied about the last part.

"God's gift to mankind, eh? How poetic of you Lieutenant. It seems however, that you have given some thought to the matter."He pointed out. "But you're right, aside from being God's gift they can be a huge inconvenience, always needing their diaper changed and constantly crying, not to mention all those expenses that go into raising them… more like God's curse if you ask me." He joked with smug smile.

Riza smiled softly at his remark. "Now Sir, there's no need to stretch the truth that far. Clearly your actions when amongst children say otherwise."

"Ah, you've got me there, Lieutenant!" He shrugged still smiling "What can I say? I'm a softie when it comes to children and dogs."

"You forgot to add women, Sir" She said light-heartedly and they both laughed.

* * *

This is my first fan fiction ever, so be kind. I had the idea right after I finished reading the last page of the FMA manga on June 12 - still can't believe its all over x.x- so I started to work on this as a way to make my most favorite couple have some sort of happy ending, a continuation of sorts to the open end Arakawa-sensei gave them. They totally deserve happiness just like Edwin! And they can still stay in the military like they planned already.


	2. Expressions and confessions

Disclaimer: I do not own FMA nor its characters, all credit regarded goes to Arakawa-sensei!

* * *

"Did you notice how happy Fullmetal seemed with his new life, Lieutenant? Don't you wish for a change like that sometimes?" He looked into those captivating amber eyes of hers, his expression serious again. "To lead a life without peril or threat, aside from the mundane daily routines and chores."

She looked away from his gaze and down at her book, she knew where this was going. He was indirectly asking if she wanted to leave the military, leave his side, and start a new life as a civilian.

She understood that he didn't mean anything bad for suggesting such a thing. He was looking out for her and she understood that. But what she couldn't understand was why he didn't realize, until now, that her life held no purpose without him. That without being by his side, her existence had no meaning whatsoever.

He was her present and he would be her future, and if it meant following him as a subordinate for remainder of her life she would gladly do so, without a moment's hesitation. She would forever protect and serve him until her last breath.

He watched her as she sat in front of him, her face staring down at her closed book, sensing the thoughts racing through her mind. He knew she must have figured out his intentions and was wondering why he wanted to push her from his side; he also realized from the pained expression across her face that she was trying to comprehend why he hadn't recognized by now, how meaningless her life was without him.

But He was aware of that fact, since it was exactly how he felt about her. His existence was insignificant without her.

They shared a long and painful history, understood one another well and were familiar each others

expressions.  
To him she was more than a mere subordinate, she was his partner. Always by his side, bringing him back to his senses if he strayed, and never fearing to straighten out his unruly ways.  
However, her life was not his to control and for that reason, he didn't want to hold her back from a chance at a normal life. And if it meant treading on his heart to allow her that possibility, he was willing to do so.

She looked up at him, pain reflected back in those amber eyes of hers, sorrow which he had caused yet again. He almost felt like taking her in his arms and holding her tight, with a grunt he clenched his fist tightly instead.  
He hated himself for being the cause of that hurt.

_'I did it again, didn't I? Why am I such a fool, why do I keep hurting you? ' _His eyes screamed at her.

She shook her head at him, reached out for his fist, unclasped it and held his hand with a smile, trying to ease the anger that surfaced on his face.

_'Don't worry, I'm alright_._ I should be used to your misguided and senseless intentions by now.'  
_

She smiled weakly, hoping her could read her as well as she could read him.

He closed his eyes, let out a long winded sigh then eyed her with a grimace.

_'Are you sure you want to stay? Aren't I holding you back?'  
_

Desperation filling his eyes as he squeezed her hand tight.

'_I would gladly spend; what remains of this life I have ,with you like this and no you are not holding me back from anything, you silly man.'_ She frowned back at him.

That was when a slight smile finally made its way to his lips. He leaned forward and got a hold of her other hand and held both them in his.

Looking straight at her, he lost himself in those mesmerizing golden brown eyes and smiled softly at her.

_'I love you with all of my being, Lieutenant Colonel Riza Hawkeye. You are my strength and my weakness, the better half of me; my everything. You complete me and I am devotedly yours until the day I die and beyond that.'_

She stared back at his enchantingly beautiful dark pupils, a slight touch of rosy pink shading her cheeks, returning the same smile.

_'I love you more General Roy Mustang and I would gladly give up my life for you, if that's what it took to protect your safety and fulfill your destiny. I devotedly give my heart, body and soul to you until the day I die and beyond that.'  
_

_'__And no, you can't die before me, I won't allow it!'_ She threw him a no nonsense look.

'_And you can't die before me, since I won't allow it, either!' _He challenged back.

"You're hopeless." She said out loud, shaking her head at him. He let out a gentle laugh.

"Marry me, my Queen?" He said softly, still holding both her hands in his.

"No. I'm afraid I cannot, Sir." She replied curtly.

He raised an eyebrow and gave her a questioning look. "Are you turning me down and after all that confusion we've just been through, Hawkeye?"

She looked down trying to conceal her smile. "Yes Sir."

He reached out for her chin, forcing her to look up at him and focused his gaze on hers. That's when he noticed the playful look in her eyes. He exhaled with relief as he let go of her chin and ran a hand through his dark hair.

"Don't toy with me, Lieutenant. Why?" He asked sternly. Though he already suspected the answer and closed his eyes, with that boyish smirk of his.

"Not until you reach your goal, Sir!" She said firmly.

He rolled his eyes at her. "Can you truly wait that long, Hawkeye? Because I sure know I can't."

"I would wait until the end of my time if I had to, Mustang." She said beaming.

He shot her a surprised look at having used his name without a 'Sir' or 'General' as she usually did, even when they were alone and guffawed. Leaning back into his seat; his hand still clasping hers, he pulled her to sit by his side.

"Well at least some things have started to change for the better, but I will make you my wife Lieutenant, and sooner than you'd expect." Giving her a non-argumentative, scowl.

"I promise you." He added with a tender smile.

Riza could only return his smile, that rosy blush returning to her cheeks once again.

* * *

That might have been a tad confusing eh? They were talking to one another through their eyes, sorta like telepathy. Lame i know x.x but I sorta figured they had that sort of a relationship by now. They can understand one another without using words. Its part of their special connection. anyways tell me what you think, i really want to know. Since this chapter sorta wrote itself, including the whole 'talking through thoughts thing' I was extremely surprised after i proof read. *grins*


	3. Not much sleep

A/n: Just finished writing this chapter. It took me 3 hours none stop and yet its short o.O ah well as long as its finished. Please review! I want to know what you think, okay

* * *

They were back in Central. Back to work again after that quick detour to the Elric household, following their departure from their post at Ishvalan settlement. They had to report all the new developments that were happening there and make requests for what they needed. Even though it had been close to a year since they started work at the site, there was still a lot more to be done.

It was the start of their _'office week'_ as Riza liked to refer to it. Although she called it _'week' _it usually took more than that, according to the amount of paper load they had to finish. And this time around they had a whole lot of paperwork to fill out and other preparations to make before they returned, which might make them stay longer at central for perhaps a month, give or take she assumed. But Riza didn't mind.

She enjoyed these days since they were less stressing and she could relax more and didn't have to worry about Mustang's safety as much.  
She didn't have to watch out for some random bullet flying through the air or an attack by a renegade with a knife. Thankfully none of these situations actually happened so far, except for a minor incident which she'd managed to intercept promptly, her mind however, would not stop relaying all the possible worse case scenarios that could happen. There was never a moment's rest for her while they were at Ishval and Riza had to be extra alert. She hated to admit it, but it was starting to wear her out.

The calm of the office and the safety she found within the rigid walls of headquarters was why she looked forward to their officedays. Also she secretly enjoyed spending time alone with her General.  
Dropping the files she'd received earlier that morning on her desk, and went over to kitchen to grab herself a cup of coffee. She needed the caffeine to keep her focused on job at hand. Returning to the office moments later with a piping hot red mug in her hand, she was surprised not to find the general at his desk by now. Looking up at the clock she shook her head, it was already nine thirty am and her superior hadn't come into the office yet.

'_Some things just never change.'_ She thought to herself with a smile.

She put down the mug on a coaster and stretched out her arms and let out a soft sigh, then grabbing her pen she started to work. Just then Mustang strolled in with both his hands tucked in his pant pockets; sleep lurking behind those pitch black eyes. He felt like a truck had run him over and was in a horrible mood. As he entered his office he was greeted with the sight of his lieutenant colonel stretching out freely, probably thinking no one was around to see her. And the little act brought a smile to his face, making him forget all about the foul mood.

"Good morning, Lieutenant. Did you sleep well last night?" He called out as he went to her desk.

Finishing off the last word on paper in front of her, she heard his deep familiar voice and glanced up to see that he was standing beside her desk. She met his eyes and notice that he seemed really tired, she frowned.

"Well enough sir, however I can see you didn't, anything wrong?"

Roy shook his head. "Nothing of importance, I just couldn't fall asleep last night. And by the time I did sleep, for about an hour I think, the damn alarm went off and half an hour ago later here I am. Anyways what's in store for me today?"

She nodded then put down her pen and stood up, "Just the usual filling of the files Sir, nothing of importance yet. Although it isn't certain, whether the meeting scheduled for noon today will be held or not, since several of the other generals haven't reported back to headquarters."

She walked over to his desk and pulled his blue _'I'm the man!'_ mug out the top drawer. Then meeting his eyes she smiled and softly said.

"Let me get you a pick-me-up then," raising the mug with a grin as she continued, "since you're going to need it filling out all those forms."

Leaning on her desk and crossing his arms over his chest, he tilted his head and gave her a weary grin. "Thank you Lieutenant, what would I ever do without you?"

"I don't think you'd ever to get anything done, Sir." She smiled then headed to the kitchen, holding the mug in both her hands.

Roy let out an exhausted sigh, slowly made his way over to his desk and sat down in his big black chair. He leaned back, closed his eyes and leisurely stroked the bridge of his nose with his thumb and first two fingers. He hoped that meeting Riza mentioned would be canceled; he wasn't in the mood to discuss anything today. Those damn nightmares got the best of him last night. Usually he was able to keep them at bay, once in a while however they managed to haunt him no matter what he did to ignore them.

Hawkeye walked back into the office with steaming blue mug in one hand, and some more files an officer passing by their office had given her, in the other. Her eyes fell on Mustang in his chair and a worried look crossed her face. Last night must have been one of _'those'_ nights then, she noted, sympathy in her eyes as she stared at him. She totally understood how draining they were to him.

She hurried inside and before she handed him his mug, she stopped by her desk and deposited the files onto the stack already there. Then picked out the ones with the least amount of work and carried them over to his desk, putting them down. She extended her mug held hand and quietly studying his face for awhile before breaking the silence.

"Here you go, sir" she said

He opened his eyes, blinked then spotted her standing in front of him. With a slight sigh he gently reached out and took the mug from her hand, their hands touched for more than a moment before she pulled hers back.

"Thanks again, Lieutenant. I really needed this." Giving her a worn out smile

She returned the smile gave him a quick nod and went back to sit behind her own desk. She briefly stared at the stack in front of her, let out a deep sigh and got back to work.

After taking a couple of sips of his coffee, Roy put down his mug and decided not to delay what awaited his attention any longer. He looked at the files on his desk, and then raised an eyebrow, surprised to find only five files were there since he expected much more. His gaze went over Riza's table and he saw her high stack of files and understood why.

'_My selfless guardian angel, always looking out for me' _He grinned, grateful.

He picked up his pen clicked it then opened a file that said urgent and started filling it.

_'I'll have to make it up to her somehow.'_ That thought lingered on his mind as he worked.

* * *

Don't forget to leave your mark and review! I like reviews so make me happy eh? =)


	4. On Mischeif and Jealousy

Disclaimer: FMA and its characters belongs to the wonderful Arakawa-sensei, and the plot of this story belongs to me.

A/N: I'd like to thank all the people who took the time to write a review, you guys have no idea how happy it makes me feel to know that what I'm writing is enjoyed, after all the brain storming, doubts and the insecurities I go through while writing. I hope this chapter is up to par =)

* * *

She slammed the door in his face. Riza Hawkeye was furious, and extremely irritated at what just happened during their walk back from the marketplace. _'How could he...ARGH! I can't believe he had the nerve to do that!' _

It had been a week now since their return to central, and during that time things were going rather well between them. They had let down their guard down more and were slowly discovering one another outside of the whole work scene. They have been spending more time together after work hours; Roy would sometimes come over and accompany her to take Black Hayate for his daily walks at the park. They ate together more. Aside from having lunch at work, they also had their dinner with each other almost every night now.

Occasionally she would bring whatever leftover work they had her house and he'd come over to help her with it. Often times they would quietly sit and enjoy each other's company as they read their books on her sofa, or sit and talk for hours about everything and nothing. All of these things occurred mostly at Riza's place. As good as things were going, Roy never spent the night over though and they'd always part just before midnight.

It was slowly turning into a ritual that neither one of them could do without. Sometimes, they would find themselves blissfully pondering the idea of living together…

'_Is this how married life will be like?' _

Today however, was not one of those times…

Riza stormed inside the house, unleashed Black Hayate and went into the kitchen. With very little tolerance, she slammed the bag of weekly groceries onto the table. The dog followed her and hurried over to his bowl in the corner to get some water to drink.

She instantly left and strode into living room, taking off her white long coat; she threw it onto the arm of the big brown sofa and flopped down onto its cushions. Aggravated with the heat she suddenly felt, she hastily unbuttoned the first two buttons of her blue shirt then smoothed out her black skirt with a frown.

Hayate run toward his mistress and looked up at her. He saw how upset she looked and whined. With a swift jump he landed by her side, lied down and placed his head on her lap. She looked down at the black dog with a sigh, and patted his on the head.

"You're the only one who doesn't give me a lot of grief." She whispered with a small smile, calming down a bit.

Roy Mustang leaned back against the door to Riza's apartment, his eyes closed, head bowed and arms crossed over the grocery bag he held against his chest, a mischievous grin plastered on his face. He patiently waited outside, giving her a couple of minutes to cool down.

'_Hmm, things went far better than I expected,'_ he mused to himself.

After several minutes later, he decided it was time to go inside. He then propped himself up, turned around and cautiously opened the door, making sure no flying objects would hit him in the face, before he proceeded.

He abruptly dropped the bag off at the kitchen, then took off his black trench coat, and dumped it unceremoniously on one of the many cardboard boxes that lined the entrance. With his hands in his pockets, Roy strolled over to the living room and saw Riza sitting on the couch with her legs tucked under her, patting the dog's head that lay on her lap. She looked like she'd settled down a bit, so he leisurely walked over to her and sat by her side.

When she felt his presence in the room her whole demeanor changed from calm to tense and the anger returned. She didn't show any outward signs however, her expression hidden behind that stoic mask of hers. Completely ignoring him, she had her head bent down, not taking her gaze off of Hayate.

"Riza?" Leaning his head to one side, to get a better view her face.

She showed no response, aside from her hand occasionally patting Black Hayate's head, who closed his eyes with content.

"Aww come on Riza, don't be this way," he whined.

She raised her head sharply, and met his gaze with a glare. He winced, then gave her a sheepish grin.

_ 'My my Riza, this new side of yours is quite intriguing...'_ He thought.

"How could you do and say such things to my friend?" She finally said her voice composed and at same time incredulous

"I was being friendly?"

"That was not being friendly, that was being ridiculous, and in front of her boyfriend! Have you no restraint?"

"It wasn't anything serious; I don't understand why you're so peeved about it, and I hardly think she minded." He shrugged, clearly lying. He smiled inwardly enjoying the fruits of his little plan.

She gave him a disbelieving blank stare. He looked back at her innocently. And then she frowned.

"Okay…I'll be the most un-charming man you've ever seen, the next time we run into her," he said with exasperation. Then quickly mumbled "not in front of her boyfriend at least…"

"I heard that, don't think I didn't!"

"Fine, I won't even look at her let alone speak to her, how's that?" pretending to be annoyed

"I'm serious, Roy!" she scolded "and would you stop pretending to be the one who's been wronged here?" clenching her fist in aggravation, she never understood how he was the only one that could easily manage to wind up, the otherwise unshakeable Lieutenant was beyond her.

"Do you not have any restraint, whatsoever?" She repeated after a few minutes, knowing full well that he didn't.

"No I'm afraid I don't…" He blankly stated

"You're impossible!"

"And yet, you like me." He grinned, moving closer to her.

"You're also irritating and exceedingly troublesome."

"And, you still stay by my side," he softly said and moved even closer, reaching out to touch her cheek.

"Don't... even think of touching me." Her voice was icy cold and menacing, Black Hayate opened one eye when he heard her tone and looked up curiously; when he saw no threat was present he closed it again.

Roy paused and gave her with a mock hurt expression.

Riza stared at him, clearly unconvinced, then let out a deep sigh.

"Never act that way with any of my friends, ever again." putting emphasis on the last part.

He had to stop himself from grinning, absolutely riveted at having pushed her buttons yet again though this time, unlike all the other times, her responses were not what he expected and he was overjoyed.

"I won't…"

After a moment of thought, she added, "and don't even think about acting like that with any other woman, for that matter…"

His lips formed a smirk, "I won't…" He murmured, shaking his head.

She raised an eyebrow and eyed him skeptically.

"For you, I'll try harder…" he coaxed soothingly. Although he really didn't have to try, since she was all he ever saw and needed.

She rolled her eyes and finished his sentence, "to make my life miserable, right?"

He gave her a wide grin, leaned forward and gently kissed her forehead. Then he suddenly pulled her into his arms and hugged her snugly.

"Oh my dear Riza, how I like it when you're jealous," he teasingly whispered in her ear.

* * *

I hope you guys will tell me what you think and give me any ideas that might help shape up the story...What do you think, is it going too slow or too fast? How's the flow of the storyline, is it confusing or just right? Give me your best shot, I promise to take all your comments and suggestions into consideration. =)


	5. Hesitation and Expections

It was well into their third week at Central.

Their work was almost complete. All the materials and equipment they had come to check in order to transport back to the Ishval settlement were all prepared, except for a few minor bits that were missing and those could be retrieved within the next few days. So it seemed that their days in Central were numbered and it was going to be a matter of time before they were back East, and then in Ishval taking care of things there once again.

General Roy Mustang sat behind his desk, his hand propped against his face, with a bored expression as he read the list of tasks that had been completed and the ones that weren't. He then leaned forward and rested his arms on the desk, still going through the list. When suddenly the phone on his desk rang. After two rings he sighed and picked up the handle.

A forced greeting later, he listened to what the caller had to say, his expression changing from boredom to irritation. Several minutes of silence past followed by a couple of grunts and brief yeses, and then he finally spoke.

"Okay, I understand. Thank you Lt. Colonel and good day" and replaced the phone with a little more force than was necessary.

_That woman sure can be demanding, I outrank her and yet that doesn't seem to matter much to her. That's the Ice Queen for you._

Olivier Armstrong had sent word through Lt. Colonel Miles that she expected no mess ups in the order of things since there was to be extensive groundwork all over Ishval and everything had to be perfect.

_It's not like I need to be told what to do concerning my work on Ishval, that woman._ Annoyance creeped into his face.

She had stressed that General Mustang better not be complaining about working with Scar, otherwise he would have to answer to her personally and not the Fuhrer.

_Hmph...whatever_, he scoffed.

He pulled back his chair and stood up. Shoving his hands in his pockets, and walked towards the door. Just as he was about to exit the office, Lt. Colonel Hawkeye appeared before him with a stack of folders.

"You come bearing gifts?" he asked with a wary smile.

"These forms need your signature now, Sir. Are you going somewhere?" She added puzzled

He nodded, "I have to go see the Fuhrer about some matter. I'll be back in a while though."

"Hurry back please, or else you'll have to stay behind after work in order to finish these off and I don't plan on staying behind today nor do I intend on taking work home with me." She said not happy that he was going off to waste time when he had loads to do.

Catching on to her displeasure, he smiled widely and gave her a quick nod then headed toward the opposite direction, waving the back of his hand at her. Riza watched him walk away and sighed. She knew he wouldn't be back soon if he went to go see her grandfather, the two of them forgot about time when they were in each others company.

'_Those two and chess,'_ she shook her head and walked into their office.

Mustang made his way to the Fuhrer's office all the while thoughts of how he was going to open the matter he wanted to discuss with Grumman racing through his mind. He realized that he shouldn't be feeling so anxious since he had known the man for a very long time now, he trusted, respected and held him with high regard. The issue he needed to talk about however, was something that had been troubling him since that train ride back to central.

'_Why does she have to be so stubborn,' _he thought with a slight smile and a shake of his head.

He wrapped his fingers around the object that was in his pocket and small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he thought of her. Roy had bought the simple yet exquisitely crafted engagement rings, a few days ago and had kept the box in his pant's pocket every day since. They were made of pure white gold, his was simple while hers had tiny specks of diamonds running through the entire width of it.

He loved her and she loved him, and he was pretty sure of it too, after that little stunt he pulled the other day at the marketplace that had made her jealous. Roy wanted to commit, but Riza was not ready to...and that was where the problem lay. How was he going to convince her that she was not going to hold him back from his ambitions?

If she was reluctant about the _intimacy _thing then that could wait, he didn't want to pressure her into anything if she wasn't ready. But his desire to make her his wife could not be hindered any longer. If it wasn't for him she would have had a family by now like Fullmetal did.

He felt indebted to her, for standing by his side and watching his back and taking care of him all these years. She was everything that mattered to him and well worth this fight, and it was about time he did something to make it up to her. With a deep sigh, he gave the object in his pocket a tight squeeze and walked onward.

When he reached the front of the Fuhrer's office, he gave the door quick knock and waited for an answer from the inside. Roy then opened it and walked inside to find the Fuhrer's secretary sitting behind her desk. She smiled when she saw him. He strolled towards the front of her desk, both hands still hidden within his pockets, and presented her with one of his famed smirks.

"Hello there, Rosalind. How are you doing,this fine day?"

"Quite well…Thank you General Mustang and yourself?

"I'm not as good as I'd like to be. Is the Fuhrer busy?"

"You're in luck, sir; he just concluded an important meeting awhile ago and isn't expecting any one for another two hours."

"Ah I see, I suppose I have a knack for great timing. I'll go on ahead then. Thank you Rosalind."

With a friendly wave he moved towards the door leading to the Fuhrer's main office, knocked, and then opened it.

"Why hello there young Mustang, what brings the military's most famous bachelor here today?" The old man said

The Fuhrer sat forward leaning against his desk, his hand was casually stroking his chin. He had an amused expression on his face and his eyes gleamed with one of those cunning smiles of his.

"It's much too early in the morning for your jabs, Sir. But I'm guessing you might have an idea as to why I'm here." Roy smirked as he walked over to sit in front of Grumman.

"Oh I don't know, maybe it has to do with that _item_ you have tucked within your right pocket, perhaps?" He sounded bored as his eyes fell on the hand in right pocket of Mustang's blue dress pants.

"Why am I not surprised," Roy shook his head and shrugged his shoulders with a helpless grin. "You always are one step ahead of everyone else." He then sat down and added, "So where you expecting me then?"

"I knew you'd come and see me sooner or later." Grumman gave him a single nod and then smiled.

"I see, and how is that chair treating you, Sir?" changing the topic to give himself time to think.

"Not so good. There are so many troubles to deal with that I've aged instantly since. he sighed dramatically and continued "But with you being in the East and Armstrong in the North, and pair of you doing your jobs quite well might I add and It has helped me greatly."

"So have you had enough of being Fuhrer then?" Roy asked with an amused tone.

"Oh no no, not yet General. I'm afraid you shall have to wait a little while longer." Grumman shook his head and smiled wickedly.

Roy laughed out loud. "That was the answer I was expecting, saying you had enough would have shocked me."

A brief moment silence followed the friendly exchange. Roy sat with his brow furrowed, deep in thought and Grumman watched him with interest for awhile before spoke.

"So, Mustang-kun, a penny for your thoughts?"

"Oh, sorry. I must have spaced out; I didn't get much rest last night." shifting within his seat, he turned to gaze at Grumman and asked, "I wonder, do you have some time for a quick game of chess, Sir?"

The old man could only grin at the little white lie Roy had just uttered; clearly the matter he suspected was on his mind, had Roy out of sorts. He had known the young man for many years now and could read him like a book.

Grumman was very happy though, _it was about time he realized how fortunate he was to have my granddaughter by his side._

A game of chess would help settle Roy's thoughts and make it easier for him to reveal his concerns. It was also a form of communication between the two old acquaintances.

"Sure, why not…and of course it will be another victory for me." Grumman said bemused.

Roy smiled as he stood up and walked over to the table where the chess board was situated, the Fuhrer joining him moments later. They sat opposite one another as Roy started arranging the pieces on the board.

"Well then, since I recall I had won he last time, I believe the game starts with my move," said Mustang looking up and after the Fuhrer nodded Roy moved one of his pieces and waited for Grumman's turn.

"I do hope that jewelry shop you went to last Wednesday gave you a fair price on that _item _you purchased, the owner can be a bit greedy but truth be told his merchandise is the best in all of Amestris." Grumman said nonchalantly,

He then moved his piece and leaned back into his chair.

Roy leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, his mouth formed a half smile, as he looked straight at the board and then he moved another piece. All the while his eyes focused on the board.

"I did receive some sort of discount although the said _item_ was supposed to be one of its kind and the owner was rather insistent that it deserved it's hefty price."

Grumman stroked his mustache as he sat and studied the man sitting across from him.

"I see, but I find myself rather concerned about something. Do you think the lady you intend on presenting the said _item_ to will accept something that costly?"

An expression of doubt crossed Roy's face for a moment, he hadn't thought about her refusing it because it was expensive. But it did make sense now that Grumman mentioned it. He had only wanted to get the best there was for her. A mental image of her scowl came into his mind and he grinned slightly.

"I guess she might not at first, but I think I can persuade her to relent and accept it." he claimed his voice filled with confidence.

"No doubt you will…and have you decided when you will present it to her?"

Roy idly ran a finger over the black queen piece, giving it with a look of admiration for a brief moment before turning his attention to and moving another piece instead.

"Not yet…I seem to be having trouble with that point, since she frankly turned me down in an earlier attempt."

Grumman chuckled while repositioning his glasses and then moved another piece forward.

"Oh I see, and did she tell you why?"

"Yes she did, but I don't think her reason is good enough to stand in the way, granted that it is extremely important to her. However I feel she can still can continue with that reason, if she were to accept my proposal…check"

"Hmm.."

Grumman stared at the board pondering how he was going to save his white king piece and then grinned as he swooped for the opening and captured Mustang's black rook. Roy blinked in astonishment then frowned_, 'Damn! My attention span is not good today.' _

"Don't think too much about, Son. " The Fuhrer said, reading his thoughts, "I can see this matter is preoccupying your thoughts a lot. Riza can be stubborn, I'll have to admit, but she loves you and though I'm certain she might give you a hard time. You will have to be creative about how you go about it but I know she will accept the next time you ask."

He added after a moment with a soft smile, "call it an old man's intuition."

Mustang looked up at Grumman and then exhaled loudly, "I don't understand why I'm so worried about the whole matter, it's not like she will leave me if she doesn't accept but…"

Grumman nodded, "but you're still afraid of losing her subconsciously and I suppose that's only natural after experiencing the shock you did that day."

Roy sat listlessly then sighed deeply. The Fuhrer was mostly right, after the events that transpired that day, watching her lose all that blood and almost die, and not being able to do anything to help. Those were the darkest moments of his life, they were much worse than losing his eyesight.

She mattered to him more than his eyes did, for without her constant support he wouldn't have made it to where he was now. He was forever indebted to that little Xingese princess for saving Riza for him. Of course, it didn't hurt that Dr. Marcoh found him a way to get his eyesight back, otherwise he wouldn't be able to see that smile of hers which made his day, every single day.

"Well sir, can I take your last comment to be an approval of my intentions towards your lovely granddaughter?" Mustang said with humor filling his voice.

"Of course dear boy, you know I've always being waiting for this day. So get over those fears of yours and marry the girl already." Grumman chuckled, "and I expect to have great grandchildren by the end of year Mustang, so get to it."

Roy let out a loud laugh at that then stood up, "and the game ends with you almost winning, sir. Thank you for your time but I really should be going now, or else my devoted Lieutenant won't let me hear the end of it. "

"Go on then," said Grumman, waving a hand "maybe next time we continue this game I might just let you win."

"That would be very kind of you, but I won't be expecting anything." a sly gleam shone in those midnight eyes.

"Oh and as for your expectations sir, by this time next year. You should probably be bouncing a healthy, and exceptionally cute little baby Mustang on that knee." with a smirk he gave Grumman a salute and marched back to office he shared with his soon to be wife .

* * *

Sorry about the long delay...but I hope the extra long chapter makes up for it =) So I know there are in consistencies with the rank of Hawkeye but just remember she's even though I always just type Lieutenant...as for Miles being the same rank as Riza not making sense...meh not fair I know but deal with it. =P

Don't forget to review!~ A special thank you to all my readers who have taken the time to let me know what you think...I greatly enjoy reading your comments.


	6. Roy's Preparation

Back in East city, it was a slow and lazy Sunday morning, it also happened to be a national holiday. Amestris national day, was a day of celebrating the many accomplishments of the state military in uniting the different parts of Amestris. Most of the military officers were off duty on this day, as were the pair of officers we have come to love.

General Roy Mustang had decided he would go over to his Lieutenant Colonel's house and spend his day with her. He had a very special _plan_ in mind, one that involved him, her and a certain maroon velvet box in his pocket.

Being middle of sweltering summer season, most days were very uncomfortable and hard to bear, to the point of interfering with work and sleep, or so he had heard many people complain. The heat though didn't really bother the Flame Alchemist as much as it did everyone else.  
The only problem he had was an increase in the sluggishness he felt, and that meant his paperwork completion was much slower, which only added to the utter exasperation of his Lt. Colonel.

Today however was a relatively mild day compared to the ones before it. He noticed there were many people walking around on the streets; a mother smiling as she talked with her young ones, the laughter of children echoing through the lane as they ran after one another, young couples holding hands and whispering sweet nothings to one another. The street was full with the hustle and bustle of life, everyone enjoying the change of weather.

_It's good to be back in East city_, and w_hat an amazing day it is today? The perfect day for a proposal_ he grinned, his hands tucked in his pockets as he strolled down the lane which lead to Riza's building.

Roy had spent most of the night before thinking of how he was going to go about the whole proposal thing. He run all sort of elaborate plans through his mind only to frown them all off for being too dramatic or too drastic. He even phoned Havoc and asked him for _hypothetical_ ideas without disclosing any of his true intentions. But was disappointed with those ideas being worse off than his own.

He never had any trouble charming the fairer sex before but Hawkeye was in a whole different league compared to all the other women he had dated in the past. Roy finally made up his mind that he would just have to go what came to him naturally and hope that it worked.

He settled on a moon lit dinner under the stars in the open aired courtyard of a lavish restaurant, with no one but him, her and a violinist playing in the background. After they'd have their dinner and the desert came, she'd take a sip of her drink and then he'd surprise her by kneeling in front of her with the ring in his hand, with his most deepest voice he'd ask her to do him the honor of marrying him..with that she'd gasp, then pull him in a tight embrace and kiss him passionately as tears streamed down her cheeks.

_Somehow that seems so unlike Hawkeye, she probably just stare at me with unimpressed look or simply just walk away, _he sighed.

Whatever happened he hoped that he wouldn't make too much of a fool of himself. He reached her building and then stood in front of her door, after a moment's pause. He took a deep breath, exhaled loudly then knocked on the door.

Several minutes later, Riza opened the door and she was a sight to behold. Her cream colored shirt and brown pants had huge wet patches on them. Her short blond hair was slightly disheveled, and little foamy soap suds spread randomly across her hair and face. He noted there was a look of annoyance on her face. His lieutenant looked so unlike her prim and proper self and he found it exceedingly cute.

"Good morning Lieutenant Colonel Hawkeye, don't you look pretty today?" he teased.

Hawkeye rolled her eyes at him and curtly answered, "Good morning, General."

"What were you doing Riza, taking a shower with your clothes on?" Roy lazily leaned against her door frame and gazed at her with that roguish smirk of his, then reached out to wipe some of the suds off her face.

"Only fools would attempt such a stupid idea, Roy," she folded her arms across her chest and didn't look amused. He smiled at her use of his first name since she recently started to call him by it, though not as much as he liked.

"I was giving Black Hayate a bath…well trying to at least, he's being so uncooperative today." She sighed dejectedly.

"Looks like you could use some help then." He walked past her and entered the apartment, took his trench coat and vest off, dropping them one of the random boxes lining her hallway "It's a good thing you didn't unpack your boxes," he said as he rolled up his sleeves as he marched inside.

"And why is that a good thing?"

"Because you're all ready to move out soon, that's why."

She ignored that comment. "You can try to bathe Hayate, but I doubt you'll succeed much," she said following him to where the bath things where setup.

He grinned confidently at her and then called Hayate to come in a deep commanding voice.

Moments later the dog came running and sat at his feet looking up at him, panting and happily wagging his tail. Roy kneeled down and patted Hayate's head, "That's a good boy." He smiled at him and then leaned close to his ear and mumbled something quietly to the dog which Riza couldn't hear. She raised an eyebrow at the scene.

Roy then got up and lead the dog towards the basin filled with soapy water and coaxed him to jump into it and sat down in front of the dog. Riza stood opposite Roy slightly away from the basin. She didn't expect Hayate to obey and quietly observed with a small smile. Patiently waiting for the dog to splash the bath water all over Roy like he had done with her. However she was surprised to see Hayate silently sit within the basin as the flame alchemist started bathing him.

"And that is how it's done, lieutenant" Roy said smugly as he looked up at her from his stool.

Riza blinked and then asked in a perplexed tone, "What did you say to him in that low whisper I couldn't hear?"

"It's a secret between us boys." he grinned widely at her.

"Fine, you boys have fun then while I go shower and change." She sighed then walked off to her room.

An hour later, Riza came into the living room looking calm and content, patting her short blond hair dry with a towel. She eyed her surroundings, noticing that the basin and all it's bath related items had been cleaned up and no longer in the corner she'd left it and she didn't find either Roy or Hayate in the room.

_Where could they have gone? _She frowned then walked towards the kitchen, no one was there. She then went back into the living room towards the large window, and pulled the curtains to show a little balcony behind it...again no one.

She was getting worried now. Fighting back the panic that was slowly making its way through her mind. Her flat wasn't that big to get lost in and she knew they weren't in her room nor the bathroom since she had come from that side of the apartment.

That only left the possiblity of them going outside. But why would Roy take Hayate out after his bath? It was irresponsible and the dog could get sick from the change of weather. Riza went to sit on the sofa and continued to dry her hair, scowling as she thought of how she was going to reprimand Mustang when he got back.

Roy was almost finished drying Black Hayate with the huge towel, he kept laughing as the dog shook himself and licked his face.

"Okay, you're almost done so let finish." he mused then commanded with a stern voice. " Sit Hayate!"

Hayate sat obediently as Roy brushed his coat of fur then refastened his collar. When he was done, he patted the dog fondly and smiled at him. "There all done! You're all clean and shiny aren't you?" The General then stood up and turned his attention to the mess on the floor and sighed, _guess I have to clean that up now..._

After he'd worked through clearing away all of the bath things, an amazing idea sprung to his mind. _Forget dinner out at some fancy restaurant._ As much as he found it romantic and appealing, he knew Riza preferred staying at home instead. So he would bring the romantic dinner to her. He mentally ran through the things he would need for the evening...Candles, flowers, soft music, and chocolate pudding for dessert!

This was going to be like no other home made dinner he'd cooked for her before, it was going to be special!

Roy got out his small notepad from his coat's pocket and quickly jotted down the checklist in his mind. He paused and turned toward the direction of her bathroom door, hearing nothing but silence. A wicked little smile flashed across his face then.

_Hmm, she's probably enjoying those aromatic scents of hers. I'm so tempted to go in and join her but she'll most likely have a gun hidden nearby and would..._

That mental image made him sigh and he went back to writing his list. "Right, now to go and get all of this done!" Roy straightened out his sleeves, put on his vest and coat, then headed toward the front door.

Hayate had beat him to the door, and was scratching, whimpering. He looked up at his mistress's _mate _with wide pleading cocked his head to one side and stared at him with a puzzled look.

"Do you need to go attend to nature's call? Oh alright you can come along with me and join my errand hunt." He grabbed his leash, and both man and dog left the apartment in a hurry just as Hawkeye opened the bathroom door.

While Roy was busy shopping for what he needed, he realized that he left Riza back in the flat and he needed her out of it in order to carry out his plan. Fifteen minutes later he was knocking on Havoc's door with an irritated expression on his face as Black Hayate sat at his heel, wagging his tail gleefully. _Open up already, I don't have time to waste._

The door opened to revel, a sleepy looking Havoc who rubbed his eyes with one hand while the other scratched his bare stomach. His eyes opened wide when he saw the mop of black hair which belonged to his superior standing in front of him, looking all peeved with a hand in one pocket and the other clutching onto a leash. His eyes followed the leash and noticed Hayate looking back at him. Havoc blinked then scratched his head.

"Chief? What brings you to see me this early in the morning and why is Hawkeye's dog with you?"

Roy narrowed his eyes then said, "Early my behind. It's almost past noon, Havoc. Did you have a late night?"

"Oh...noon huh? Guess I lost track of time. Yeah I had a couple of drinks with someone. Umm, something wrong, Chief?"

"Take Hayate back to the Lt. Colonel's place, then take her out to lunch. Keep her occupied for a couple of hours, until six in the evening. Afterwards, escort her back to her apartment. Do not allow her to return before then, under no circumstances what so ever. Is that understood Lieutenant?" Roy commanded then shoved Hayate's leash at Havoc and turned to leave.

"Eh..okay, but what's all this about, General?" Havoc asked Roy as he walked away.

"You'll find out later, just make sure she doesn't get back before six, okay! Oh and don't tell her of this little conversation we just had. I'm counting on you, Havoc." Roy waved and walked off. He then suddenly stopped for a moment and turned around, a devious gleam shining in his midnight eyes and a smirk stretched across his lips.

"Say hi to Catalina for me, maybe you can ask her to help you? I'm sure the two of them have loads of 'girl talk' to catch up on and that should keep Hawkeye busy until I'm done." he let out a hearty laugh at the expression on the blonde officer's face then strolled off leaving behind him a stumped Havoc.

_How the hell did he know she's here and what's he going to be done with? _

Havoc shook his head and sighed, leading the dog inside. He closed the door with a bang. Then unleashed Hayate and padded toward the direction of his bedroom. Throwing himself onto the bed, he exhaled loudly and frowned. The female figure that lay on the other side of him, moved close towards his side propping herself up on one arm to get a better look of his face and poked him in the forehead.

"What's with the sourpuss expression?" Rebecca teased.

"Mustang...He just came by and ordered me to take Hawkeye's dog back to her and then take her out to lunch and to keep her busy and away from her house till six in the evening. I have no idea what he's planning but it can't be good, can it?" He met Rebecca's gaze, apprehension looming behind those dark blue eyes.

"By the way, he also said to say hi to you. Apparently he knows that you're here. Though I don't know how the hell he found out. That man is creepy." Havoc frowned even more.

"Oh? Yeah I guess he is spooky but he's also pretty intelligent and observant, otherwise he wouldn't have made it to General at his age."

She pulled the sheets closer around herself and moved towards Havoc, snuggling under his chin as he pulled her close to him. Rebecca had her brow furrowed in thought. Lightly drawing random patterns with her finger across his chest. She stayed that way for a couple of minutes before she suddenly jumped up and slapped Havoc hard.

"Ow! What the hell was that for?" Havoc looked at her with a mixture of confusion and anger as he rubbed his sore chest.

"OH MY GOD JEAN! He's totally going to propose to Riza!" She screamed, clapping her hands with excitement.

"Huh? How did you come by that crazy idea?" He looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

Rebecca scooted out of the bed, wrapping the sheets firmly around her form and then hurriedly grabbed her clothes off the floor. She ran to the bathroom, and just as she was about to close the door popped her head from behind it and gazed at Jean.

"Hurry up and change out of those shorts, we have to go to Riza's don't we? I so want to find out what is going on. Oh but wait she doesn't know, does she?" Rebecca cocked her head at the ceiling for a moment, stroking her chin then directed her gaze back at the blond man sprawled across the bed.

"That means he's planning a surprise. So we have to keep her away from her house till six, right? That should be easy...Oh my god! This is so exciting and totally romantic. I'm so jealous of Riza!" She shoot him a mean look then said with tone carrying more bite then was necessary, "get up already, we don't have all day, you know!" and she slammed the door shut.

Havoc sighed deeply with exasperation, _There goes my quiet sunday. I had planned to spend most of it in bed. Leave to the chief to always ruin my plans and dump work on me. _He got up and started to dress all the while wondering just what exactly it was that he had gotten himself dragged into.

Meanwhile, on the other side of East city. Roy stood in front of the florist's shop a few blocks away from Riza's. He had just come from his favorite gourmet restaurant, where he asked the talented head chief to lend him a couple of hours from his valuable time in order to make some of his marvelous dishes at home for him, explaining it was for a very special occasion. The chief was more than happy to oblige his famous customer but for a_ small _fee, of course. He told Roy that he would be at the given address in about half an hour.

The General glanced at his silver pocket watch. _It's almost two, Riza should be out of the flat by now and Maurice should be making his way down here. _He replaced the watch in the front pocket of his vest and turned his attention to the flower lady.

"Could you give me two dozen red roses, another dozen of white carnations and half a dozen lilacs, separately wrapped please." he smiled at her expression of bewilderment. "I plan on proposing to my lovely lady tonight." He stated.

"Ah, I see. Planning on filling the house with flowers, are you?" The young lady asked curiously. Roy nodded. "Yes indeed, do you think that's going overboard?"

"No. I think it's sweet and very romantic. She's one lucky lady." she smiled as she wrapped the last dozen and started to pick out the lilacs. "Why the half a dozen lilacs, though?" she asked

"Because a lilac's meaning is first love and that she is to me, plus they're also her favorite flower."

"How adorable, you're pretty sentimental, aren't you sir? I'm sure she'll be very happy with your gesture. I know I would be." She took the money he gave her and handed him his order with a soft smile then promptly added. "Best of luck for tonight, I hope it all goes well."

"Thank you kindly." He took his order of flowers in one hand and carried the bag filled with candles, little vases and other items, in the other arm. Mentally cursing himself for not using the car today since he still had to walk with all the stuff.

Roy found Maurice and another fellow waiting for him on the steps of Riza's building. The young man accompanying the Chef asked if he could assist him with carrying his bags and Roy unloaded some of the brown bags onto him. The walked up to her apartment and he unlocked it using his spare key, hoping he wouldn't find an angry Riza on the other side. When he stepped inside, he reluctantly looked around and listened, after he was certain of not hearing any sound. He made his way to the kitchen, the two men following him.

"Okay Chef, here's the kitchen and I suppose you have all the things you need with you, right?" Mustang asked as he dropped the flowers on the dinning table.

"Yes General Mustang, we have all we need, my assistant here made sure we didn't leave anything behind." Replied Maurice in a heavy foreign accent.

"Right, if you find that you are missing something let me know. I'm going to go out in half an hour and will be back shortly."

Roy grabbed one of the bags and the flowers and stepped out of the kitchen, into the living room. He started to arrange the flowers in the small glass vases he'd gotten and placed them all over the room. Minutes later he had the room smelling of a mixture of roses and carnations, he even had all the little candles arranged on mantel of her fireplace and awaiting only to be lit.

By the time he was done with the preparation of the aesthetic aspects for the evening he stopped by the doorway of the kitchen and leaned on its frame, his arms folded across his chest. He watched the two men busily prepare the various culinary delights for the evening.

"Something smells wonderful, Maurice. What is it?" He asked closing his eyes and taking in the aroma.

"It's one of my special dishes sir, lamb broiled with rosemary and many other herbs, as well as various vegetables and lastly topped with a succulent secret sauce. It is granteed to make your mouth water from the first bite."

"Sounds great, what else is on the menu, I hope you didn't forget to add your famous chocolate mousse for dessert?"

"Don't worry, it's already been made and is cooling down as we speak. Here is the menu,"

Roy stepped inside to take a long piece of brown paper and scrolled through it, noticing the delicate and beautifully written penmanship. There was a choice of asparagus and potato soup or a mix of fresh summer garden salad as appetizer, the main course consisted of lamb and a side dish of either brown rice or pasta. Lastly the dessert he was looking forward to was chocolate mousse with cookie pieces mixed within it.

"This looks promising, chef. Thank you very much for your hard work." Roy smiled at the man as he handed the menu back to him. He brought out his pocket and noticed that he only had an hour left before it was six, and he had to hurry since he should be back before Riza returned.

"I'll be leaving now to freshen up, so is there anything you need me to get you on my way back?" he asked.

"No General, everything is under control. I shall also be leaving in a bit since I have finished all that needs to be done, however I shall leave behind my assistant, his name is Philippe and he shall remain to serve you and later clear everything. I hope the entire course is to your liking, sir and may your evening end with a favorable response." Maurice nodded, his smile making the thin mustache on his upper lip appear more prominent.

"I'm sure it will be excellent, Maurice and I look forward to enjoying the wonderful meal you have prepared." he turned to meet Philippe's gaze and nodded at him, "It's a pleasure to you meet you Philippe, thank you for assistance."

"It's an honor to meet you sir, I look forward to serving you tonight." the young man said with a slight hesitance.

Roy smiled at him and turned to Maurice, "I'll be seeing you then Maurice, who knows the next time we meet again at the restaurant, I'll be introducing you to my beautiful fiancee."

"I'm certain it will sir, lovely touch with the flowers and candles. It'll surely impress her." Maurice grinned as he let his eyes take in the atmosphere Roy had created in the living room.

"I hope you're right. She is hard to impress." Roy let out a small chuckle and turned towards the front door. He left to get ready for the night his life would hopefully change for the better.

_After tonight things are going to be different between us, I just hope it's a 'good' different...No, I'm sure tonight will be amazing. _

With a smile on his lips, a song in his heart and a bounce in his step, he briskly walked down the street leading to his house.

* * *

Author's Note: Sorry about the delay, I hope you liked it! I know it's looong but I didn't want to chop it up and make the story even longer. I hope you enjoyed the little RebeccaXHavoc smut :P Those two just decided to grace the story with an appearance. So next chapter is more of Rebecca and Riza fun with poor Havoc tagging along and the proposal of course. I hope it doesn't disappoint...=)


	7. The proposal

Lieutenant Colonel Riza Hawkeye lay comfortably on the dark brown sofa in her living room. Propped up by several pillows under her head and neck, her attention was fully focused on the book she was reading. She held it with one hand while the rest of it was supported on her tummy, her other hand picked a carrot piece from the plate that lay below her on the floor.

She unconsciously munched on the carrot stick while staring intently at her book, reading a part of interest that held her captivated enough not to hear the knock on her front door. Several minutes passed and a loud knock startled her and forced her back to reality.

She frowned, thinking that it might be Roy as she sat up and then placed a bookmark to hold her page and closed it. She got up to head toward the door. Riza didn't appreciate being torn away from her story when it had reached its climax. Riza strolled toward the door as another loud knock echoed from it and she mentally prepared to bash out Roy for his impatience and for running off with Black Hayate after he'd bathed him.

Before the door was shaken by another knock she opened it abruptly and pulled it open with fury in her eyes.

"I don't appreciate you breaking down my door, Roy Mustang and..." She stopped mid sentence and blinked.

Riza noticed that it was not the familiar face of her General gazing back at her but that of a tall blonde man with a unlit cigarette dangling from his mouth and woman a little taller than her with long black hair that loosely hang around and framed her face, who was smiling back at her.

Black Hayate barked once and wagged his tail at the sight of his owner; Riza looked down at the dog then turned back to Havoc with a questioning gaze.

"Good afternoon Lt. Col. sorry about that. But you sure took your sweet time answering. I thought something might be wrong and was just about to break the door down if she didn't stop me." Havoc said with slight irritation as he pointed at Rebecca, who waved at Riza with a wide smile on her face.

"See, I told you she was okay, you would have broken down her door for nothing." Rebecca frowned at Havoc, and then turned her attention back at Riza. "So what were you doing anyway Riza? I know Mustang's not in so that couldn't be the reason of your delay." She drawled giving her a mischievous grin.

Riza shook her head and sighed, stepping aside to let the pair and Black Hayate inside.

"It's okay Havoc; I'd like to know how Hayate ended up with you though. A good afternoon to you too, Rebecca. "

"Oh, the chief came by a while ago and said to take the dog back to you. He was in a hurry to get somewhere that I didn't get anything else from him." Havoc said as he stepped inside after Rebecca and handed Riza Hayate's leash.

Riza watched her guests walk inside, and then turned to her dog. She bent down and gave him a scratch behind the ear, smiling as he tilted his head to a side happy to receive her attention. She removed the leash from him and then stood up to close the door. Rebecca waited for her by the door while Havoc went on ahead, following Hayate inside and strolled toward the sitting room. Leaving the ladies to talk amongst themselves.

_This was going to be a long day,_ he thought with a sigh.

"So, to what do I owe this visit today, Rebecca?" Riza said with a tone of indifference, as she folded her arms and eyed her best friend.

"That's mean Riza, can't a girl visit her good friend without having any ulterior motives?"

"Perhaps, but when it comes to you, Becca. There always is something or the other behind your visit." Riza replied dryly.

Rebecca laughed and waved her hand in denial, "You're sharp witted as always, but there really isn't anything. When Jean told me he was going over to your place to return Hayate, I thought it would be a great idea for us all to go out for lunch. It's been awhile since I've seen you, with you being busy with work, the rebuilding and most especially your new relationship with Mustang. " Rebecca teased.

"I see. Well, it has been awhile, yes. I'm guessing things are going well between you and Havoc, for you to be spending the night there, right? I suppose you've finally found the man you were looking for, so when are you retiring?" Riza asked, her face showing no expression.

Rebecca raised an eyebrow, "How did you know I spent the night?"

"I didn't, you just confirmed it for me now though." Riza smiled. "I'm glad you two are finally going out with one another. Jean's a good man and I'm sure he'll make you happy. Let's go inside." She said as she moved toward the living room.

Rebecca scrunched her nose at Riza, "That was very sneaky, Riz and so like you." She grinned then continued in a serious yet mellow tone of voice.

"You're right about that though, he's very good and makes me happy. And no, I don't know when I'm going to retire just yet. Since we've only been going out for about one month now. The senseless mind games that occurred before then don't count, of course." She frowned.

"How long has it been for you and Roy though, a little over that, right?" Rebecca asked

Riza nodded with a smile. "Yes it's been well over three months now. And the amusing thing is we've never once gone out on a date. But I don't really mind, we spend our time doing other things that are of more value."

Rebecca could see the sparkle in Riza eyes and realized that her friend had found the little piece of heaven that she truly deserved. She was happy for her. Lord knows how long she had wished for Riza and Roy to stop with the overly professional attitude they dealt one another and just act on how they truly felt.

It was a known fact that even though the relationship between the two was that of superior and subordinate, there were subtle undertones of something else. Something that was much more than mere loyalty. The two of them were absolutely devoted to one another, and that was something any girl would kill to have.

Their journey however, was not an easy one. No, in fact it was a long and harsh one, filled with terrifying nightmares, lots of grief and numerous injuries. Yet, no matter what happened, she was always there for him, shielding him as much as she possibly could. To him she was the one person he relied on, more than he did on himself. It was mostly for this reason that Rebecca believed, they both had earned the happiness they received now.

"Doing things of more value huh?" Rebecca repeated Riza statement with a naughty grin, "I'd bet _it's_ as great as the rumors mention, right?"

Riza narrowed her eyes and gave her friend a sharp glare and when that look didn't dispel the mischievous smile off Rebecca's face, she sighed. "No Rebecca, things haven't gotten to _that_ yet and I plan to keep it that way. For now, at least."

"Ah… I see. That's too bad Riza. Getting your hands on such a hunk of a man and not enjoying the privileges." Rebecca shook her head with look of mock disappointment.

"I can exercise self restraint quite well, Becca. Unlike a certain someone I know." Riza gave her a sly grin.

"Ouch…guess I had that coming." She shrugged.

After exchanging the playful banter, the two women headed for the living room to find Havoc seated on the couch reading the book Riza had left behind. Right where she had left her bookmark. Riza felt mortified and didn't know what to do or how to take her book back.

Rebecca noticed Riza's cheeks flush a little and smiled inwardly. Everyone had their own guilty little pleasures, even Hawkeye herself. She turned to Havoc and snatched the book out of his hands.

"Shame on you! Reading people's books without their permission. Is this how you were raised, Jean?" She scolded with her hands on her hips and a frown on her face.

"What's all that for, Becca? Since you two left me on my own and were busy gossiping. I was bored and noticed this book lying on seat next to me. Besides I didn't read much of it anyways." He lied.

Rebecca handed the book to Riza and flopped down next to Havoc. She patted his head with a wide grin, treating him like a little boy who had his toy taken away. "There there, don't pout. Just don't do it again next time, understood?" Havoc rolled his eyes not facing her and folded his arms with a scowl.

Riza couldn't help but smile at the couple before her; both of them were comfortable with one another and so uninhibited. The way they acted with one another was so endearing. It was true that every couple had their own way of showing their love. She and Roy showed theirs through the little battles of wit they frequently had with one another and which sometimes drove her to the brink of madness.

"What would you like to drink, tea or coffee?" Riza asked them.

Rebecca turned to her and waved a hand at her, "No we're good, besides we came to take you out to lunch and then you're going to spend the rest of the day in our company." She replied with one of her crafty smiles.

Riza eyed her suspiciously, she guessed from the start that there was something behind their sudden visit, and something told her that Roy was behind all this. She decided to play along with the game and see where it led.

"Alright, let me change into something else quick. Make yourselves at home; you know your way around Becca, if you need anything." She gave Rebecca quick nod and proceeded towards her bedroom.

As she changed, she kept wondering what it was that had everyone acting peculiar today, Roy and his sudden disappearance, and now Jean and Rebecca wanting her to spend the day with them.

_This was going to be a long day._ She thought with a sigh moments later, as she stood outside her apartment locking the door. She looked down at Hayate; who was looking up at his mistress with those big black eyes of his, and smiled.

"Do you know what's going on?" She asked him; Hayate barked once and wagged his tail staring at her with eyes that looked as though they were smiling back. "Ah well, off we go then Hayate." She patted him on the head and then went to catch up with the pair.

After a long day which started with lunch at the café down the road to her building, then followed by them going to the park, they decided it was a beautiful day to soak in some sun and let Hayate run around some. They stayed there just before sunset and on the way back, Havoc insisted that he would accompany her back to her house, even though she told him it wasn't necessary. They stopped by a bakery, so Riza could pick up some bread and a raspberry and blackcurrant pie for dinner.

When Riza walked up to her building at fifteen minutes past six, she was surprised to find Roy casually leaning against the wall, beside the entrance. He donned a white dress shirt the first three buttons left unbuttoned and he had its sleeves folded back reaching mid arm. Over the shirt he wore a dark brown vest and a pair of cream colored slacks. He pulled off the whole causal formal look so effortlessly, which wasn't surprising since he was known for his impeccable sense of style.

"Did you enjoy your lunch, Riza?" He asked with amusment.

Riza narrowed her eyes at him and said nothing. _So, he was behind this after all._

He leaned forward off of the wall and moved toward the steps then stood there, waiting for her to follow him. The sight of him made her catch her breath and a small smile crossed her lips.

Ever since they started dating she had started noticing how handsome he was. It was as if those blindfolds she had placed on to make their professional relationship easier, had fallen off.

He saw her expression and knew she was admiring the way he was looked, he smiled back, and held out his hand for her, choosing to ignore the gawking eyes of Jean and Rebecca. All he wanted to focus on was her and her alone.

"I'll take it from here Havoc." Roy said. He gave their two friends a quick nod of the head and a thankful smile.

"Shall we go upstairs then, Miss?" He asked, never letting his eyes leave Riza's.

Riza stared at him for the longest time before she responded to his question with a simple nod. She felt a warmness creep up her face and realized she must be blushing.

_Why am I acting like a teenager? Damn body and its involuntary reactions. _

But he really was a stunner and she had always known that. Realizing that he wanted to look his best for her made her feel pleased for some reason.

_This is odd, something is defiantly up._

"What's the special occasion for you to be dressed so?" she whispered when she reached him and he led up the stairs.

"You'll find out soon enough." He answered with a grin.

She suddenly turned back, remembering Havoc and Rebecca were still there. Rebecca had a silly smile on her face, as if she knew something and was hiding it, and Havoc simply looked at the pair with an uninterested gaze, moving his unlit cigarette up and down, his hands clasped behind his back. She let go of Roy's hand, bid farewell to her good friends then marched up the stairs of her building with Roy strolling close behind.

"Did you see how handsome Roy looked and how speechless he made Riza. Aww he's got so much class and I didn't know he was THAT romantic. So unlike a certain man I know." she threw him an accusatory look.

"Psh, then why didn't u go out with him like all those other girls he stole from me?" He grumbled, letting go of her hand and shoving both of his in his pant pockets.

She smiled inwardly, teasing him was so easy. She knew that Mustang's charm had taken many a past girlfriend away from Havoc and that it was a sore subject for him.

"Well as good looking and classy as he may be, he really isn't my type. He's too pretty for my liking _besides_ I like the underrated yet ruggedly handsome kind more." she replied, wrapping both her arms around his arm and pulling herself closer toward him.

Havoc grinned sheepishly, "I guess you could call me ruggedly handsome but I don't know about underrated. I mean I am _the man_ behind the man who's in the spotlight. If it wasn't for me, and the other guys of course, the chief wouldn't be as awesome at what he does."

Rebecca looked up at him and tilted her head to one side, "I thought Riza did most of _that_ work, while the rest of you useless boys slacked around and gave her grief."

"Uh yeah...well, the was always the most efficient one of the group. " He said as rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably with his other hand.

"I know, she always had really high work ethics and was pretty good at whatever she tried her hand at. So it makes sense that the serious Hawk's eye was the puppet master of your band of merry men, it's a role that suits her well."

"Puppet master? I don't know about that." He said with a shrug.

"So…" Havoc said, suddenly breaking the momentary silence.

"Do you think they're...you know?" He asked, his voice sounding a little tense and uncomfortable. She raised an eyebrow and when she looked up and met his gaze. She let out hearty laugh at the silly expression he had, as he held Rebecca's hand firmly while they strolled.

She shook her head amidst bursts of giggles, "And if they are? Why does it make you look like you're going to vomit or something?"

Havoc grinned sheepishly, "I don't know...It's just, it's the chief and Hawkeye, ya know. And their finally getting together kinda put me off guard, I guess. I mean us guys knew they were practically like a married couple with the way acted sometimes. But there was always this distance between that kept them apart. But now that they're finally together...it's just a little weird, I guess."

"I see. Well to answer your question. No, I don't think so, I know Riza too well and I don't think they're…you know_._" she regained some of her composure but had a wide smile across her face.

"I don't think what I just said was that funny, Becca." he sulked.

"I'm sorry, it's not what you said, more how you said it." she said, trying to hold back another bout of laughter. "And just so you know, Riza most probably won't let him get his way with her. Not until her wedding night at least. Besides he never spends the night over, from what I've heard."

"So what do you think they do all that time they're _alone _together?"

"They do all sorts of _other_ things. Not everyone is as sex crazed as you are, Jean." she grinned.

"That's harsh, Becca and so not true. Besides, I'm not the one who had a reputation for sleeping around, you know. And that's the sort of person who is sex crazed, not me." He grinned.

"I suppose I'm luckier than poor Riza then huh?" Rebecca let out a laugh.

"Yes you are, since I don't give you as much hell as Roy does Riza."

"Hmm..you're right." She grinned and squeezed his arm affectionately.

They strolled at a slow leisurely pace. Enjoying the silence, before Havoc spoke again with amusement in his voice.

"I didn't know Riza was into romance novels. Their content can be so explicit; it's like porn but without the visuals. No wonder girls read those things. And then you have the nerve to act all self righteous and pure." He teased.

Rebecca looked him in the eye and gave him a devilish grin. "I knew you were lying when you said you didn't read much."

"Well I couldn't say I read a hefty some of it, I would have gotten shot."

"Coward." She said with a laugh.

"No it's self preservation. Something completely different. And I really pity the chief. He's going to be in big trouble if he ever messes up. But don't change the subject. I bet you read those things too, don't ya?"

"Maybe"

"Ha! I knew it. Did you learn all you know from those things then?" he said raising his eyebrow in bewilderment.

"Don't be stupid, Jean. Those books are silly little things to pass the time." She said rolling her eyes in annoyance.

"Besides girls don't need visuals to turn them on in an instant the way you guys do. Our minds are highly superior to your simple ones." She said with an air of self importance.

"I'm not going to argue with that statement. I'm not that simple minded though, wouldn't you agree?" He said turning to face her with a wide grin.

"Smart thinking Jean, and no I guess you're not." She replied

Jean smiled and pulled his arm free from her grip, wrapped it around her instead and pulled her close to his side. They headed back to his apartment in silence after that, and he was anticipating the fact of spending whatever that was left of their day off as he had originally planned.

Back on Riza's end, she wondered just exactly Roy was up to. From the moment she saw him waiting for her downstairs she knew he was up to something and that things were going to be very odd tonight.

"What is all this, Roy?" Riza asked perplexed, as she looked around at how her living room was transformed into some place she didn't recognize with flowers and candles.

"Just a little romantic dinner, for my Lieutenant Colonel."

"What is the reason?" She looked at him with suspicion.

"I thought about taking you out to some fancy restaurant but then I figured that it would be more comfortable at home so I decided to have it here instead." he answered, smoothly evading the reason behind it all. She noticed but decided not prod the matter any farther.

"Alright, but since I don't look as dressed up as you, would you give me ten minutes to change into something more appropriate." she said with a smile and moved towards the direction of her room when he suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her close toward him.

"I'll give you only five, so hurry back." he said in a deep husky voice, and that cocky smirk, which normally wouldn't have much of an effect on her but because of his proximity to her, she felt a cold shiver go down her spine.

Riza felt her pulse rate increase and her cheeks flush but a sly grin crossed her features and she teasingly said, "If you want me to look my best, then five minutes won't be enough, and it wouldn't be fair that you look good while I don't, now would it?" And she laughed a little at the mock expression of hurt he showed and pulled away to go head to her room.

Moments later Riza was standing in front of her closet, running her eyes over the neatly folded clothes that were racked inside. Most of her clothes were simple and consisted mainly of dark colored three quarter length skirts and several blouses which she mostly wore outside on her days off. There were also her casual at home wear and those were mostly pants and shirts.

She had two party dresses which she wore for special functions, not that there were many, and those were nothing too fancy either and most of them covered her back and didn't expose too much of her chest.

There was this dress however that Rebecca had bought her once and it was nothing like the other dresses she owned. It was a simple black dress which was sleeveless, its length was the same as her skirts and it had a slit on the right side running well over her thigh.

At first she had thought it was nice, that was until she tried it on and noticed that it was backless and had fairly low cut at the front which accentuated her god given assets…and it was also form fitting. Showing too much for her than she felt comfortable with. She never thought she'd ever wear it anywhere but now seemed like the perfect moment for it.

After she'd put it on she sat in front of dresser and stared at the image looking back at her as she brushed her short blond hair. _You look calm, relaxed and happy. Did you ever think you would feel that way, Hawkeye? _She pulled out a drawer and looked through it to retrieve a tube of lipstick she hardly used and ran the soft shade of pink across her lips.

After one final glance at the mirror, satisfied with the outcome. She stood up and walked towards the door. Just she was about to leave, she remembered the cook that was also present. She went back to her cupboard and pulled out a cream colored shawl and put across her shoulders, hiding the secret that only she, her late father and Roy knew of.

When she returned to the living room, she found Roy talking to the young cook, sensing her presence he turned to her direction and looked at her with a mixture of astonishment and pride. He motioned for to join him at the already laid out table. Pulling out the chair for her, and just as she sat down, he leaned close to her ear and whispered something softly to her that made her heart race. She frowned at him; as he sat down opposite her, her expression making him laugh a little.

The dinner was a pleasant little affair. With both Riza and Roy basking in each other's company and enjoying the wondrous meal that young Philip was serving. When they were on dessert, Roy motioned for Philip.

"I think we can manage from here onwards. Thank you tremendously for this lovely meal and all your hard work. Please make sure to send my best to the Chef." He said with a grin, giving the nervous young man a pat on the shoulder.

"Alright…then sir, I'll finish collecting the rest of my things and be on my way. I hope wish you all the best." He uttered with a curt nod and headed towards the kitchen.

Roy directed his gaze to the lovely lady sitting in front of him and let out a deep sigh of content. She always did look amazing to him. No matter what she wore, even in her unflattering military uniform but tonight she looked extra special and he was glad it was all for his eyes only.

"Have I already told you how stunning you look, Riza?" he smirked

"I believe that is the tenth time since we started dinner." She said with a tone of indifference

"I know you would look even prettier if you hadn't cut your hair yet again. Why do you keep doing that?" Roy said with slight annoyance.

"So I could see that priceless reaction you have on your face right now." She replied playfully, smiling at the way he was pouting like a spoiled child.

"Nice Riza...very nice. Well, I don't think that shawl suits that pretty dress you have on. Just a little while longer and then you can get rid of it. I want to see how ravishing you look in that dress." He said as he watched the young man in the kitchen prepare to leave.

"Ah, so you're finished then Philip?" He asked as the brown haired, tall man stepped out with various bags in his arms.

"Yes, sir. I'm all done. I cleared everything up. I'd best be on my way then. Good evening sir, ma'am. I hope you enjoyed the meal."

Riza turned to face him and smiled softly, "Yes, it was superb, thank you. Have a good evening, Mr. Philip."

The young man smiled and nodded at her then headed towards the front door. Roy stood up and followed him, making sure to lock the door then returned to dining table to find Riza already clearing some of the dishes away.

"Come now, we can do that later. I think we should have something to drink now, don't you?" Roy said as he went to bring out a bottle of red wine from where Philip had left it in the kitchen. He returned to find Riza missing that dreary shawl and standing with her back to him, by the balcony staring off into the night.

He was enjoying running his eyes along her body, appreciating her curves as she stood there before him, until he noticed her exposed back and the tattoo he had partly disfigured made him his heart ache. With a long sigh, he strode toward her and gave her a glass of wine then rested his head on the back of her shoulder, closing his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Riza. I truly am." He said in a gruff tone.

She didn't turn around and simply reached up with her free hand and touched his cheek. She understood what he meant and the burden he felt. It was a burden that would never leave and one they would have to live with.

"Don't…It's alright." Was all she said softly, and they stood there for awhile each lost in their own thoughts yet acknowledging the other's presence.

After many glasses of red wine later. Roy got up from the couch and put a record into the record player. He walked over to where Riza was sitting. Still not used to seeing his lieutenant in a dress. The alluring sight made his pulse go crazy. She looked amazing no matter what she wore. But tonight she was a goddess. His goddess.

_Well it's a marvelous night for a moon dance, with the stars up above in your eyes. A fantabulous night to be romanced, you could_

He stretched out his hand and softly said with a sincere smile, "Dance with me, Elizabeth..." The soft melody echoed from record player, playing at the background inside the flat.

Roy leaned close to Riza, he could feel her heart race a little and he smiled_. So, I still have that effect on you after all these years._

"Riza…"

"Yes, sir."

"It's Roy, Riza. Just Roy."

"Sorry, si..Roy. What is it?"

"I want to make you my wife, more than anything in the world."

Riza felt completely caught off guard, she didn't expect he did all this was so he could propose. Her cheeks turned a light pink yet she never lost her composure. She didn't fool Roy though. He saw the astonishment in her eyes and smiled softly at her and pulled her closer to him.

"I am proposing for the second time, Hawkeye." He placed his index finger over her mouth when he noticed she was about to say something and shook his head with a slight grin.

"Let me finish. You have been my comrade, my voice of reason, my best friend, and my one and only love for many years. And as the great Beethoven said, 'I can only live wholly with you or not at all. Be calm my life, my all. Only by calm consideration of our existence can we achieve our purpose to live together.'

"I'm asking you to follow me once again, not as my subordinate this time, but as my better half. For without you I would be lost and I'm sure you wouldn't want that to happen." Roy whispered, he stepped back and removed the velvet box from his pocket, then opened it looking at the ring trying to avoid the look in her eyes.

"Marry me, Lieutenant Colonel Riza Berthold Hawkeye, and this time it's an order from your commanding officer. Since it's the second time you've made me propose to you."

He waited for a quick, no nonsense reply that was typical of Riza Hawkeye. But when he looked up at her face, he saw the speechless expression, and a trace of relief and perhaps joy, radiating from her eyes.

She nodded. "I think I would be foolish to refuse after all the trouble you've went through…Roy. However, know this; I will not be your typical stay-at-home wife. I don't plan on leaving the military and I'm keeping my last name as is, sir." Placing emphasis on the last word with a smile.

"Now why did I know you were going to say all that, lieutenant? He lent his head back, looked straight into her eyes and let a smirk cross his lips, he leaned forward and captured her mouth with his. Both them losing themselves in the brief moment of bliss and sharing their first kiss in over a decade…

* * *

I'm sorry it took so long for me to post this chapter. I had writer's block and after that I became really busy traveling here and there. Anyways I finished the next chapter and I sad to say that it will be the last one. I don't want to stretch the story too thin. I shall however write a new one. So watch out for it. As always, show me your love or hate with reviews. They are a writer's joy after all. I look forward to hearing what you have to say. =)


	8. The dream

It was sometime late in the evening. Two men stood in front of an open field, and both of the dark haired men were dressed in civilian attire. They were somewhere along the outskirts of central, far from the dim city lights, under the wide starry night sky, which a full moon illuminated and made the whole area look bright and dazzling. They stood side by side, with nothing but black military car that brought them there, parked in the background.

Roy Mustang was formally dressed, wearing a white dress shirt with a slim black tie which lay tucked under a dark blue vest, and a matching pair dress pants. A black trench coat topped his outfit and a cream colored scarf was draped over his broad shoulders adding a touch of class. His raven colored hair was styled in its usual unkempt manner.

Maes Hughes however, wasn't as formal looking. He had on a pair of dark tan slacks, a dark green dress shirt which accentuated the emerald color of his eyes, and a simple brown jacket. Maes swiftly adjusted his drooping glasses over the bridge of his nose, and then tucked his hand in his pocket. Both men stood with their hands hidden within their pockets, staring out into the distance.

"So Roy old boy, heard you saved the world, lost your eyesight eh? Must have been major bummer I'd bet, but then you regained it somehow, and got promoted to General! Well it's not quite Fuhrer but knowing you you'll get there soon enough. But but..." He trailed off.

He turned to face Roy, a wide grin on his familiar face. "But the best news of all is you're finally GETTING MARRIED! Oh, I'm so proud of you!" He said with glee and slapped Roy on the back hard.

Roy stopped himself from toppling over, and then shot him a dark irritated look.

His best friend ignored him and continued speaking, sparkles gleaming in his eyes. "Casanova has FINALLY turned a new leaf, eh? I thought this day would never EVER come at the pace you were going. I mean what the hell? You two kept dancing around one another so much it was a PAIN to watch, not to mention a huge nuisance."

He then suddenly gave Roy a sinister glare "You're just lucky Riza didn't get snagged away by some other guy already, a pretty girl like her shouldn't be left waiting for a clueless idiot such as yourself. Mr. I-don't–have- time-for-Marriage-and-family-because-my-goals-are-WAAAY-more-important-than anything-else-in-the-whole-world."

Roy rolled his eyes as Maes continued his incessant rambling.

"Oh! But I'm soooo happy I could cry, this was the day I've always been waiting for." He suddenly squealed

Maes pulled Roy in a tight hug and rubbed his rough stubble on Roy's cheek.

"Cut it out, Maes!" Roy yelled pushing Maes off, rubbing his cheek and scowling at him.

"I am not a clueless fool."He calmly said though he did sound annoyed. "I had A LOT of issues to handle at the time, besides our relationship was complicated enough without adding romance and intimacy into it, Maes." Roy corrected Hughes, straightening imaginary creases off of his coat and scarf.

"Bah, excuses EXCUSES! I mean you used to get all defensive and stuff if I even mentioned the M word before, and now look at you, not making faces like a mature young man and it seems to me as if you're actually looking forward to it." He patted Roy's back and smiled

"You've come a long way, my friend."

Roy slipped his hands back in his pockets and stared at the ground below him, a slight smile softening his features.

"I suppose I have. I honestly am aware of how much you have always waited for that day to come. But you know Maes, things just haven't been the same without you and I just hate the fact that you're not here to share this all with me." His voice was gruff and his brow furrowed.

There was a brief silence for a while before Hughes finally said something.

"Dude," Maes pulled on the word with a horrified expression on his face.

"What's this share business, you're talking about? What do you take me for some kind of freak? Well I'm not a freak! "he raised an eyebrow at Roy and sounded incredulous.

Waving a hand at him dismissively, he added, "I don't want Riza, she's all yours. No need to share her with me, thank you very much! I am a happily married man. Geez…"

Roy turned to look at him and blinked, completely dumbfounded. Only his friend had that peculiar sense of humor and could turn a solemn moment, no make that any moment, into something totally bizarre and completely outrageous.

He finally recovered and felt like smacking Hughes on the back of his head. A second later he did.

"Ow- Hey! What was that for?

"Quit acting so foolish."

"Quit being so angsty."

Roy frowned at him "I'm not angsty, weirdo!"

Hughes scoffed "Oh yes you are, you brooder!"

The flame alchemist let out a deep sigh; Brigadier colonel Hughes rubbed the back of his head. Then there was another moment of quiet.

"So…Care to tell me what prompted this sudden change of mind about settling down with her?" Hughes asked his voice serious.

Roy shrugged then grinned at him. "It wasn't sudden and after all we've been through. I guess it finally is the right time."

"Hmm… and why don't I believe that?" Folding his arms across his chest

With a curious tone he continued, "My guess is you got jealous of Edward for having cute little kids before you and thought to yourself, _hmm I better start getting busy now before I get too old to procreate little flame alchemists of my own who'll probably no most defiantly also inherit my awesome charm and ridiculous good looks." _He concluded with a sly grin.

Roy's lips formed into a smirk. "I'd have to admit you've got me there, Maes. You always were too smart for your own good. I totally agree with you my kids will be incredibly good looking and overly talented. " He beamed with pride at the thought.

"Little Flame alchemists and snipers eh? They'll totally drive you crazy but I'm sure Riza will handle them just fine, after all she has been stuck with you, all these years."

"Hmph…stuck with me, you make it sound as if I were a delinquent that needed her supervision." Roy huffed.

"Well you aren't a delinquent, but you did need her constant supervision. Otherwise you would have either gotten yourself killed by your rashness or your office would have been flooded with overdue paperwork." Hughes remarked nonchalantly

Roy furrowed his brow at Hughes and he in turn just shrugged and gave him a you-know-its-true look.

"So, how many children do you plan on having?" Hughes asked.

Mustang blinked for a moment then stroked the edge of his chin in thought. His mouth was covered by the rest of his hand, as he pondered the question.

"I never thought about it before. I dunno, maybe four..no wait, six." He finally answered assuredly.

Hughes blinked, "I don't think so, time's against you buddy. Besides Riza definitely won't allow it, I'm sure she'll still be working in military and you are a handful to her as it is without adding four or six kids to the picture."

"But I always dreamed of having a big family." Roy whined.

"Didn't you just say I've never thought about it before?"

"I forgot about my old dream…"

"What old dream?"

"The one where I live in a huge house with my wife and children. And we sit outside, blissfully watching lots of our kids and maybe a couple of dogs run around and play in the front yard."

"I thought your dream was to be Fuhrer."

"This was my dream before THAT dream."

"And when did this dream happen to occupy your mind."

"Hmm, right around the time of my alchemic training."

"Oooh, I see. Wonder what happened back then for you to be having such thoughts at quite a young age."

"Shut up, Maes."

"Hate to burst your cute little family bubble there, Roy. But I don't think that dream of yours has any chance of ever coming true, unlike your Fuhrer dream."

"It might, I have ways of being persuasive." Roy's famed smirk shone across his face.

"Not in this area and not with that woman, you don't." Hughes held a smirk of his own which made Roy frown.

"What makes you so sure? Riza might as well be sharing a similar dream to mine, you know."

"Ha! Riza Hawkeye wanting loads of children? Hmm we'll see about that. It's surely a bet I will win though."

Mustang didn't reply, instead he ran a hand through his hair and stared out into the distance. They both let silence loom over them again and several moments had passed by. As both men remained quiet yet occupied, each one entertaining his own thoughts. Before Roy finally spoke, a hint of sorrow in his tone of voice.

"I almost lost her that day, Maes. I've never been more afraid of anything at that moment. I can't lose her, not the way I've lost you. I will not allow it."

Hughes let out an exasperated sigh. "Ah come on, quit turning this conversation into a gloom and doom sob fest. It's a happy time, you SHOULD be happy, for god's sakes," Throwing Mustang a mock menacing glare.

Roy turned to face Hughes, a small smile on his face then said, "Riza doesn't want to get married, well 'not until you reach your goal, sir!' she says…but I don't want to waste any more time. My priorities have changed since that last battle with the homunculus and that Father guy."

"Well that's understandable, Roy. She's been so committed to helping you reach your goal that she'd probably feel burdened if she felt she was going to make you fall back on it in any way."

"I thought that might be the reason, but it's not going to happen. I don't plan on ever quitting on being Fuhrer; it's something that must be done."

"That girl really cares for you more than she does for herself. So stop worrying so much, I'm sure she'll turn around and marry you soon enough. You're one lucky bastard though and it's a good thing you opened your eyes and finally realized it, idiot." Meas said, scowling at him.

"Believe me Maes, I am aware of how fortunate I am to have had her by my side all this time. If it wasn't for her support, I wouldn't have made it this far. It was her words that brought me back from the dark grasp of vengeance I submitted myself to that day, I found that monster that took you away…if she wasn't there I might have lost more than I could bear." Roy said, then sighed deeply

Hughes closed his eyes and shook his head. Then he reached out and patted Roy on back, it was a gesture meant to let his friend know that he understood how hard his death must have been on him. And one that conveyed to Roy that it wasn't his fault that it had happened and that certain events are just out of our control. Roy turned to look at Hughes, anguish reflected within his eyes.

_I should have…It's my fault and I can't ever forgive myself for not being able to do something._

"Oh, would you stop being so melodramatic, it wasn't your fault Roy. You have to understand that. It was meant to happen and there was nothing you could do about it." Hughes said with a soft smile

"But if I could…"

"No buts…Quit beating yourself over it. You always were one to take onto yourself the misfortunes of your comrades. There wasn't any way for you to know, let alone prevent it from happening. The best thing you CAN do for me now is to take care of my girls, like you've been doing. So get married already, and get busy making little playmates for my sweet Elysia."

Roy smiled a bit at that then nodded. "I'll try my best to convince Riza of that reason."

"You do that." Hughes nodded with a satisfied grin.

Then he started to walk away from Roy's side and before Roy could move or say anything, darkness engulfed him and the scene they had been standing over was replaced by nothingness. Roy called out to Hughes saying words he could not comprehend and sensing thoughts he could not place.

All he felt was a huge unexplainable load on his chest, as if something were suffocating him and pushing him under. He reached out his hand, trying his best to reach the shadow that he thought belonged to Hughes and called out to him again. But the shadow kept getting further away from him and fainter. Running as fast as he could after it, he pulled out his arm and just about caught something, before everything went blinding white.

Riza woke up the next day feeling overly groggy and rubbed her eyes of sleep as she turned her face to gaze at clock on top of her bedside cabinet. She stared at it for awhile, unable to register if what it conveyed was actually true or not.

_It can't be twenty past eleven, can it? And why do I have this god awful headache? _She thought to herself.

She slowly stretched her arms and yawned, not remembering how she had fallen asleep last night and why she woke up so late this morning, it was almost noon and very unlike her. _Good thing I have an afternoon shift today. _Riza decided it was time to get something for this headache she had and sat up to get out of bed. But before she even placed her feet on the floor, she noticed something.

The Lt. Colonel looked down and found herself in a peculiar state of complete undress. Her mind went blank for a couple of moments, when a sudden groan and shuffling of the sheets behind her, reached her ear and brought her out of her stupor. Riza closed her eyes and slowly turned around, dreading and completely certain of whom she will find. With a quick inhale then exhale she opened them to find the bare chest and raven colored hair of her superior officer and just turned fiancé, General Roy Mustang.

_Dear lord, what have we done last night? _ Riza rubbed her head and frowned some more.

The Flame alchemist lay on his side, hugging the pillow he was partially sleeping on and a small smile spread across Riza's face at how calm and peaceful he looked. He reminded her of a little boy and she suddenly had the urge to reach out and stroke his hair, but was afraid she might wake him. Riza eyes wandered over him, when he suddenly moved and turned to lie on his back. Her eyes fell on a certain area that gave rise to a strange primal feeling. Her cheeks flushed, a shiver went down her spine, and she quickly averted her gaze.

Hawkeye frowned and was just about to give him the rudest awakening of his entire sorry life when he suddenly reached out and grabbed her arm, startling her.

"No. Don't go yet, Maes. At least let me take you back with the car…Come on!" he gruffly murmured. Riza's expression changed. Her anger and embarrassment disappeared at his mention of Hughes' name and she realized he must be dreaming of his long departed best friend.

"Don't leave me again, Maes…" he mumbled while he tightened his grip on her arm.

Riza stared at him for awhile, not knowing whether she should wake him or not, when a scratching and low whining at the door caught her attention. Poor Black Hayate hadn't been given his breakfast and was defiantly hungry.

Slowly, she untangled his grip on her arm and rested it by his side and pulled the sheet over him. Then got out of bed and stood over their pile of clothing on the floor, scanning through them for something quick to wear. She slipped into her panties then picked up Roy's dress shirt and put it on, relishing the scent of his musky cologne as she buttoned it and folded back the arms.

As soon as she opened the door Hayate wagged his tail happily and barked at the sight of his mistress.

"Shh…quiet Hayate." She said in low stern voice.

"Come along and let's see what you're going to have for breakfast or should I say lunch." She patted his head and gave him a wary smile then walked over to the kitchen with the little dog at her heel.

Roy awoke at the sound of a bark; he opened his eyes and caught sight of Riza walking out of the room with the dog following after her. With a loud groan he rolled onto his stomach, stretched his arms then yawned. Hughes, the memory the dream he was just having made him frown. It had been ages since he last had such a dream but he was somewhat glad as he remembered the conversation they had shared in it. He ran a hand through his hair and scratched his head, smiling to himself at the thought of his future children.

The thought suddenly made him remember the events that had transpired the night before and his eyes shot open and lost their hazy sleepiness.

_Oh dear, this going to be so awkward now. I hope she doesn't pull that gun out on me. _

He thought as he buried his face in the pillow. He couldn't help but smile though, at the thought of it finally happening, granted it wasn't how he wanted it to happen but it happened.

The two mere glasses of wine had loosened his beautiful fiancée's inhibitions and totally changed her reserved character into one of demanding temptress and he was more than happy to comply with her every command. He would have to remind her of that fact when she returned to tell him off later which he was sure she would_._

_Hmm, maybe I should just go over to where she is and get this over with instead._

He jumped out of bed and pulled on his boxers then strolled out of the room, the aroma of coffee and something cooking on the stove pulled him towards the kitchen.

When he reached the doorway his eyes fell on Riza who had her back to him, busily frying eggs and sausages on the stove. He was about to walk over to her and startle her but decided against it, they had to get over the whole 'awkward morning after' first. Roy leaned against the door frame, folded his arms and merely gazed contently at her, as she carried on with her chore.

"I know you're there Roy. Did you sleep well?" She asked without realizing it and completely regretted uttering the question.

He grinned, that's Hawkeye for you, always ever so sharp and in tune with her surroundings. If she hadn't realized he was burning holes in her back with his staring he might have thought she had gone lax.

"I think I slept well enough, what about you Riza? I'm guessing you must have one hell of a hangover and with only what, two glasses of wine? I didn't know you weren't much of drinker." He drawled with smirk.

"I'm not a fan of the drink as you are, sir." She retorted, purposely using the word she knew he wouldn't like, in an attempt to place some distance between them again.

"Sir? Come now, I think we're much past the formalities now Riz, especially after you invited me to share your bed last night." He said his voice amused

Riza turned off the stove and then turned to face him, her face held that expressionless mask and he couldn't quite tell if she was going to clobber him with some random kitchen utensil or not.

"So you're saying I seduced you, is that it?"

Roy grinned smugly and gave her a single nod.

"How is it possible? I simply cannot understand, and if that's the case then I suppose all those other women before me had their way with you just as easily then. So, that really means that you aren't that womanizing legend they make you out to be." She looked at him with a bored, uninterested expression.

Roy frowned, "You make me sound like a victim, Riza. I don't appreciate that. Do you even remember what happened last night?"

Riza folded her arms across her chest, imitating his stance and frowned back at him, "No. I don't remember much after the dancing part. Everything is slightly fuzzy afterward but I'd be a fool to believe your words, Mustang."

"Alright alright, so it happened, and who cares WHO started it. It was bound to anyway sooner or later, right future Mrs. Mustang? He smiled widely at her.

"Not in that way, it wasn't. I wanted it to be meaningful and to at least be sober enough to remember the details of it all."

Again, she regretted what she said. She seemed to be doing that a lot this morning.

Roy flashed her one of his mischievous smirks.

"If it's the details that have you so peeved, I could gladly tell them to you bit by boring bit. Or better yet why don't we have a second go at it and I could show you just how much you like…"

Roy was cut short from completing his sentence by a sharp blow to the gut. He didn't notice her coming close by or else he would he would have avoided the blow. He caught both her arms in a quick grasp to elude any more hits.

"Ugh…you really didn't have to do that, you know. But it's good to know just how strong you can be, since you are going to be the mother my children and that means they are going to be just as strong and beautiful as you." He teasingly said rubbing his stomach.

Riza narrowed her eyes and stared him down. Words did not need to be said for her to convey what she felt about his smug remarks. Roy gazed back at her with laughter in his eyes. He simply adored how she reacted to the whole uncomfortable situation. The intimacy thing between them had been a complicated affair. But he realized that after last night, things wouldn't be as hard anymore…Hopefully.

He wrapped her arms, which he still had restrained, around his middle and embraced her with his own, pulling her close to his chest. Riza did not fight him, instead she closed her eyes and sighed as he held her. She couldn't stay mad at him for long, sometimes. And in his arms, hearing the sound of his strong beating heart, she knew that she had finally found the one thing she had always hoped for yet feared to have.

"I'm sorry Riza, I didn't realize how foolish it was of me to think that you were okay with it. I should have ended it before it got too far." He said, Riza could feel a slight hint of guilt in his voice.

She didn't say anything. She just smiled against his chest.

This man could be obnoxiously cocky and unbearable but he always knew when how to make things up to her and was capable of being exceedingly gentle when he wanted to be. She understood and appreciated the fact, that she was the only one with whom he could be his true self with. To the other people he was the flame alchemist who had no weakness, and could do almost anything. Yet she knew him better than anyone else. She knew his good side, as well as his dark frightening side.

"I must have been too forward for you to…" She said in a whisper not daring to finish the sentence, her stomach feeling uneasy at the thought of what she might have done and she didn't dare face him.

He sensed her embarrassment and smiled. "Well I'd have to agree with you there, Riza. It was like dangling a big piece of meat in front of a starving dog. "He said factually

And there it was, just as he predicted it. She pulled away from him and the embarrassment was replaced with a furrowed brow, a slight flush residing on her cheeks.

He thought she looked adorable.

She felt like strangling the big oaf standing in front of her.

"Are you calling me a piece of meat, Roy?" She snapped

"To be fair I did call myself a starving dog, which I really was by the way. And the meal this dog had was well worth the wait and beyond my wildest expectations, might I add." He grinned.

Riza hid behind her stoic mask once again, the only part betraying her, her eyes which glared deep into his soul. Roy shuddered for a moment. He knew that stare, if she had a gun nearby. She wouldn't hesitate firing it at him. He was thankful she did not.

"You're insufferable, Roy Mustang." She seethed in low tone

"Hmm, I think we've had this conversation before dearest, and my answer is still the same. I may be so, yet you still love me." He mused

"And you're an utterly detestable, arrogant man."

"Yet you stay by my side, Riza Hawkeye or should I say Riza H. Mustang."

Riza decided to ignore him; if he wanted to act that way then she wasn't going to encourage it further by getting mad since that was what he wanted. She marched back inside the kitchen and brought out two plates, a loaf of bread, two mugs, a butter tray, and a coffee pot then set them on the table.

She went over to the stove, grabbed the pan and emptied its contents on both plates. Pulling a chair out, she sat down and started buttering a slice of bread. She then poured herself some coffee and sipped it slowly, completely disregarding his presence.

Roy watched her sip the contents of her mug, fully aware that she was snubbing him. He strode over to the table, pulled out the chair opposite her and flopped down on the seat. He stared straight at her face and after several moments had passed she looked up at him and held his gaze without revealing a hint of emotion. She then pushed the pot over to him then grabbed the piece of toast off her plate and took a bite.

"Thank you, my dear lieutenant." Roy said and he poured himself some coffee.

"So, I had an interesting dream. Want to hear about it?" he asked looking at her with a smile as if he hadn't done anything wrong.

Riza directed her attention to the plate of scrambled eggs and sausages in front of her and forked herself some, taking a bite, and still not making eye contact with the man before her. Roy titled his head to one side and grinned at her display of complete indifference.

"Hmm, okay then. It was about Hughes." He raised an eyebrow, checking to see if that would melt her coldness.

Nope. Not a thing.

Riza didn't even flinch. Unbeknown to him, she'd already heard some details of his dream, but even though she was slightly curious. She knew he would tell her about it even if she appeared like she didn't want to listen. But judging from the way he was acting, it didn't look as bad as she thought it was.

"Right, so we were discussing a lot of issues. How so many things had happened and how I wished he was still here among us." He said with a distant look on his face.

"He was happy, extremely happy about us finally getting married. He even told me not to worry, since you would turn around and agree to marry me sooner than expected," he laughed a little and went on.

"Instead of the whole 'waiting until I'm Fuhrer and than it will happen' mindset that you have right now." He gave a mock frown and stared at her while he sipped his coffee.

He went on to continue, "He asked me how many children we would have and I told him six or seven perhaps. Then he said you wouldn't agree to such a huge number, since you would probably be working still and that it would be too much to handle since I was already a handful to you as it were."

Riza grinned a little at that, it was a very true statement. She didn't look up at him and took another sip of coffee.

"Little snipers and flame alchemists. Wouldn't that be something to look forward to, Riza?" he said with a sigh. "I think you would make an amazing mother. You've had enough practice with me and the boys. Maes said so too, he said that they would drive me crazy but you would manage them as effortlessly as you have been dealing with me, all these years." He smiled at her.

"Maes always was an intelligent and perceptive man." He heard her say quietly.

Riza then looked up and met his gaze, noticing he hadn't touched his food. "Eat your breakfast, Roy. Coffee on an empty stomach is not a good thing." She said in a no nonsense tone of voice.

She then took another slice of bread and started buttering it. When she was done, she placed it on his plate and gave him an 'eat-that-now' glare.

Roy smiled at how her 'maternal instinct' which he liked to call it often, came up out of no where. He knew better than to go against her, especially when she was in that sort of mood that she was in now.

So he picked up the piece of toast and munched on it, with a wide knowing grin on his face.

He knew better than to go against the mother of his future children.

The End

* * *

AN: That concludes Devotedly yours. I hope you enjoyed my humble little first fanficition. I know it was OOC at times especially Roy but I'm a romantic and he's that way in my mind. -shrugs- I suppose I shall write a continuation if I feel inspired, otherwise I leave the thought of them having children and going through family and work life together all up to you. I thank each and every one of you, who took the time to write a review and tell me your feedback. I truly appreciated it. =)  
Until the next story, I wish you all happy holidays.


End file.
